November 29, 2003 | Afternoon

Jagjit to sing for a noble cause

All
thos who have heard ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh
sing live on stage have just one thing to say,
that it is a surreal experience not to be missed.
And can there be anything better than Jagjit Singh
lending that beautiful voice of his to a noble
cause? Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, in association
with the Women's Institute for Social Education
(WISE) is orgaising a series of concerts titled
Musical Relief to be held across the country by
Padmabhushan Jagjit Singh.

WISE, a non-formal organisation, working to combat
sexual exploitation and trafficking of women and
children through prevention programs, is operational
in 35 centres in rural Maharashtra and 15 centres
in urban Mumbai. Through the series of concerts,
the organisation hopes to raise enough funds for
the various activities that WISE undertakes.

"The concerts will be held in six cities of New
Delhi, Jaipur, Kolkata, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and
Mumbai from the 2nd of December," informed Vipula
Kadri, general secretary, WISE. "A number of dignitaries
from the state governments of these cities will
also be attending the concerts, The idea is to
bring awareness about the activities of WISE and
the issues regarding women in India," she added.
Jagjit Singh, the king of ghazals is looking forward
to performing in all these cities. "I want these
musical evenings to be full of entertainment for
people.

I will be mainly singing ghazals but I am also
open to requests for classical and film songs,"
he said in his characteristic deep voice. Speaking
about the events, Jagjit Singh added that it is
time that other social organisations too step
forward to contribute towards the upliftment of
women and children. "After all, all that we are
doing is just a drop in the ocean and there are
so many problems to be addressed," he said.

The Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces will be the
main sponsors of 'Musical Relief' and Triumph
Distillers and Vintners Pvt. Ltd., a part of UB
Group, is also a partner in the event. The musical
journey will begin on December 2, in New Delhi
and end on the 19th of the same month in Mumbai.

Opulence and luxury that takes your breath away, and a warmth that cocoons you in its embrace. Presenting the Tata Suites, a tribute to Tata group Founder Jamsetji Tata, and his love for the finer things in life